Jessica Elliott as Jessica
Character Description
Jessica is nothing if not totally serene and put-together. She abides by the platitudes she sells her patients and the readers of her new self-help book. No one can make her lose her cool- or so she thought.
Scene Description
Jessica Brown is a renowned new age therapist, complete with her photo on the cover of her own book and ready to go on her book tour. So the last thing she expected was for Nona, her biggest train wreck patient, to quit, rejecting all Jessica stands for.
Written by Shelly Paino
Mark Miertschin
ActorGood job! Here are some notes. IMO some of the questions she has should be more in the form of a statement as Nona's mentor. Not really asking but telling with the question. Could have had a bit more frustration forcing you to throw the pillow. As for the frame of your shot, zoom in a bit. try to fill the frame as much as you can with your face. Its ok to have the top of your head bumping up against the top of the frame. The less I see of the background means the more I see of you.
Rachael Brown
ActressFirst of all, you are stunning!
I think you could've gone in a more eccentric direction with this character, perhaps worn some more "hippie" inspired clothing, or a less dramatic background to visually represent her persona.
You nailed your lines and made a great choice during the serenity pillow portion. You are the 1st person I've seen who didn't projectile throw it at the reader. You showed that your character had an internal struggle to either act out or to remain professional. Thumbs up.
Clint Hankinson
ActorNice work Jessica! I could definitely tell you were concerned about him and wanted to help.
Some thoughts - the relationship felt a more like coworkers than doctor/patient. I'd love to see more urgency as it becomes clear your patient is planning to quit. Your objective of keeping your patient could build after each response fails to keep him on board. You were very calm throughout and at the end became angry. It would look more natural if your anger gradually grew after your attempts failed,
Just my 2 cents!
Tiffany Underwood
ActressJessica-Loved your realness about this character! Very grounded. One note- and it’s a note I have actually gotten. So you can take it or leave it.
Most people “ in the real world” don’t stare at the person they are talking too. They are searching for the right thing to say, they may be distracted by something, so as an actor we can also look at other things, look away while you speak. Look away when you have a thought.
It brings even more realism.
